//------------------------------//
// Digital Love 
// Story: The Iron Horse: Everything's Better With Robots! 
// by The Hat Man 
//------------------------------//

Twilight descended the stone staircase leading to the lowest level of the Canterlot Castle dungeons, Celestia at her side. She had been here once as a filly when she’d asked to tour the castle back when she was first starting out as Celestia’s personal student. She’d hated it and never wanted to return. Now that she was here again as a young adult, she found that her feelings hadn’t changed.

The ancient gray stone stood in sharp contrast to the splendor of the palace above. And where the halls above were wide and cavernous, the low ceilings and narrower halls here in the dungeon served to create a sense of claustrophobia.

Twilight’s ears went back and she lowered her head as they passed the barred cells, filled with TechQuestrian soldiers and crew members of the New Dawn. Nopony said anything to her, but she saw them lock their eyes on her, their gaze burning into her as she went by.

“Eyes forward, Twilight,” Celestia whispered.

Twilight nodded and raised her head, keeping her gaze focused on the door at the end of the hallway. Fixate on a single point, she told herself, remembering the book she’d read entitled How to Act Like Royalty: Even if You Aren’t!, upon becoming a princess. Act as though you are above it all.

It had struck her as egotistical, even arrogant at the time, but now she felt it helped her become detached. At least outwardly, the eyes upon her were not important.

But we still need to deal with them, she thought. And that’s part of the reason we’re here.

The end of the hallway was not their destination. Their destination was further in. A few more twists and turns brought them to a cell with a single occupant.

It had a bunk, a latrine with a sink, and a writing desk. The occupant was at the latter, sketching out something in pencil on a pad of paper.

“Good day, Professor Mustang,” Celestia said.

“Ah ah,” Cobbler said, holding up a hoof as he made a few more strokes with the pencil he clutched in his teeth. He looked at his sketch and gave an approving nod before setting the pencil down. “There we are. Now, how can I help you on this fine day? Assuming it’s a fine day, that is.”

Celestia took a deep breath, her expression impassive.

Twilight, however, had a hard time looking at him, and she frowned. Without his hat, his jacket, his goggles, his boots, or even a bolo tie, Cobbler Mustang looked vulnerable and tired. She’d never realized that the old stallion really wore his age in his face. There were dark circles under his eyes, too, but that hard, seething anger in his eyes was gone.

While she was glad to see it gone, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“Professor Mustang, I’m here to discuss the current situation,” Celestia said.

Cobbler raised his chin. “I understand,” he said.

Celestia shut her eyes. “TechQuestria is now under the control of our forces. There were some pockets of resistance here and there, but they have surrendered. There were some injuries, but no loss of life.”

“Well, I’m glad,” Cobbler replied. He heaved a sigh. “So, now that it’s under your control, what will you do?”

“That’s part of what we’re here to discuss,” Celestia said. “The TechQuestrian Council is currently being led by a pony named Alfalfa Sprouts. He has volunteered to speak as one of the representatives of your fledgling nation and is acting as an intermediary between the Royal Guard and the rest of TechQuestria.

“However, the nation itself is in shambles. A large number of ponies simply fled ahead of the invasion. For instance, some of the ponies Twilight and her friends mentioned, like Commander Lugnut and a nurse named Valentine, appear to have given us the slip. In total, about a third of all TechQuestrians have gone. We have no idea where they might have gone. Do you?”

Cobbler shook his head. “I confess that I don’t,” he said.

“I see,” Celestia said. “That still leaves the matter of what to do with you.”

“With the ponies of TechQuestria or me personally?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Both,” Celestia replied. “On one hoof, you’re technically traitors to Equestria… and a great many of the Royal Guard are calling for you all to be treated as such.

“However,” Celestia said, raising a hoof before Cobbler had a chance to decry this, “grouping you all together is impractical and unfeasible. Jailing you all sounds tyrannical. And then there’s the matter of all the… complications that have resulted from your invasion.”

Cobbler raised an eyebrow. “Complications?” he asked.

Twilight sighed, speaking up for the first time since they’d arrived. “There have been multiple demonstrations here in Canterlot, as well as a few more in Manehattan and other cities around Equestria,” Twilight said, “calling for either your release, free elections of a national government, or relaxing laws with regard to new technology. Sometimes all three.”

Cobbler grinned. “Really, now?”

“You shouldn’t be so smug.” Celestia leaned down to meet his eyes. “These actions could be the beginnings of a second revolt! And with the ponies who’ve escaped your terrorist state free to spread dissent, the situation could escalate! In the past several months, I’ve learned that perhaps there is some need for change, but now you’ve forced things. Ponies are entertaining revolutionary ideas and demanding changes immediately, some even at the cost of violence.

“As much as I hate to say it, Professor Cobbler, you have become a hero to some. Having you publicly decry these calls for a revolution might be the key to staving off an uprising.”

“Well well well,” Cobbler chuckled, going to his cot. He took a seat and lay down. “My dear princess, it seems to me that this is just a case of your chickens coming home to roost.”

“You said you regretted almost starting a war!” Celestia said incredulously. “You said you were wrong to have threatened Canterlot!”

“I was,” he said quietly, shutting his eyes. “And I do regret it. What I did, I did out of hatred and anger… and for that, I am truly sorry.” Then he opened one eye slightly, glancing over to Celestia and Twilight. “But if you two are here to ask for my help, then you’ll need to offer me something in return.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Such as?”

“I suppose you and Luna won’t abdicate, but establishing a parliament might do the trick.”

Celestia shook her head. “Equestria is not ready to elect a national government. The change is too quick. It would only spread more chaos.”

“Well, then, I don’t see what I have to gain from helping you.”

“Don’t you have any sense of decency?! The nation could be in danger!”

“The cat’s out of the bag now, Celestia, and the decisions you’ve made are coming back to bite you. It may take some time, but one day you’ll have no choice but to accept a democracy. The way I see it, you can either accept the change now, or some other pony will stage a coup on their own.”

“Unbelievable!” Celestia shouted. “Don’t you care at all about preserving the peace?!”

“Peace?” Cobbler echoed with a humorless laugh. “More like the stagnant status quo!”

“Enough!!”

Twilight’s scream echoed throughout the bare stone halls of the dungeon. Celestia and Cobbler both froze, turning to stare at her.

“Can’t you both see that fighting each other like this won’t get us anywhere?!” Twilight shouted.

Cobbler stood and went to the bars of his cell. Celestia only stared back at Twilight, still in shock to hear Twilight speak to her in such a way.

“Listen,” Twilight said, taking a calming breath, “you’ve both made mistakes.

“Celestia, I can already see how you’ve begun to change your stance on technology, but you’re still treating your subjects like they aren’t capable of handling greater freedom. I know the idea of giving them more power scares you, but you can’t ask Professor Mustang to help and expect things to simply go back to normal.”

Twilight placed her hoof on Celestia’s side.

“You have to acknowledge that he has a point. We need to give ordinary ponies a greater say in how Equestria is run.”

She then turned to Cobbler.

“As for you, Professor Mustang, you hurt ponies and endangered an entire nation. Now, whether you’re leading it or somepony else is, you might have laid the groundwork for another war. You can’t pretend that it has nothing to do with you! Do you really want those ponies’ deaths on your conscience?”

Cobbler’s ears folded back, and he bowed his head. “I… no,” he said quietly. “I want a democracy, but I’m no longer willing to risk other ponies’ lives to get it. I can’t quite believe how far I was willing to go.”

“Then both of you need to put aside your differences and learn to compromise,” Twilight said, her voice stern. “You each need to give up something, or else all of Equestria may suffer! We all need to do everything we can to protect the ponies in our lives! The ponies we care about! We have to, so what happened to Turing Test never happens again!”

She began to tear up, but wiped the hot, angry tears away, inwardly cursing herself for losing her composure in front of them both.

“Twilight,” Celestia whispered, putting her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know you are still aching from your loss.”

Cobbler bowed his head. “You’re right as usual, Twilight,” he said. “I apologize… I suppose old habits are difficult to break. I’ve been harboring a grudge against Celestia for ten years. Even now, I have difficulty with the idea of working together with her willingly.”

Celestia sighed. “Professor Mustang, your creation… your daughter helped me see how ruled I was by my fear of technology. Like you, I once believed it impossible that she had anything resembling a mind. Or a heart. But Turing Test changed me.”

“Yes, well,” Cobbler said, offering her a weak smile, “she does seem to have that effect on ponies, myself included. If it hadn’t been for her, I might not have seen the ugliness I’d let consume me. The way I treated her and her siblings, why I… I can hardly bear it.

“Princess Twilight is correct: we ought to follow the example my daughter set for us and adapt. I’m certain we can come up with some sort of compromise.”

“Very well, then,” Celestia said. She took a deep breath. “In that case, I’ve made my decision about something.

“The delegates offered your nation independence in exchange for ceasing your attack. Even though you rejected it, I’m prepared to offer it again to the TechQuestrian Council. It’s only right to honor what the delegates decided democratically.”

Twilight gasped. “Celestia…”

Cobbler’s eyes widened. “I…” he stammered. “I must say, I did not expect such an offer. Well, I’m not certain how much weight my word carries, but I’ll urge them to accept it.”

Celestia nodded. “I’m glad to have your support,” she said. “It will be a long, long process, but I will do everything in my power to help.”

“You have my thanks, Celestia,” Cobbler said. Then he sighed. “Now, I get the feeling that you’ll want something else in return?”

“You are correct,” Celestia said. “If I am too lenient, then it could be seen as weakness. Luna would have me imprison you and the rest of the crew from the New Dawn down here and throw away the key. She feels that showing any mercy to traitors is tacitly approving of your actions.”

Cobbler rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t care much for me, does she?”

Celestia sighed, even cracking a smile. “No. No, she does not.”

“Well, then, I have a proposal that ought to please her,” Cobbler said. He straightened himself out, raising his head high. “I’ll accept the full responsibility for TechQuestria’s actions. Let my crewmembers go, grant them amnesty, and I’ll answer for them. That should satisfy ponies’ sense of justice, and I’ll denounce anypony who attempts to follow in my hoofsteps toward a violent coup. That ought to help stave off another uprising.”

Twilight and Celestia exchanged a look.

“Professor,” Twilight began, “are you sure you’re willing to do that?”

“Yes, I am,” he replied. “I am responsible. I led TechQuestria away from its goal of secession and toward a revolution. I led the attack, and I was the one who threatened the peace of Equestria. I’ll accept the responsibility.”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “In return, I’ll see about finding you a less restrictive prison cell.”

Cobbler raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose I get a trial, do I?” he asked.

“Actually, you have the right to one, if you choose,” Celestia replied. “But in light of everything, I doubt you’d win.”

“I suppose not,” Cobbler chuckled. “But before I make it too easy on you… what about your stance on technology?”

“I’ll release the hold on your research regarding the artificial heart,” she said. “And I’ve informed Mr. Umahara that, as of this morning, I’ve reinstated his father’s medical license.”

Cobbler’s eyes went wide, and he looked up to meet her gaze. “I…” he began, his mouth working in silence while he found his words. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “At least I was able to help Dosanko find some vindication. And perhaps I can at least lay claim to something that saved lives rather than threatened them.”

“Other than Turing Test,” Twilight whispered.

Cobbler went to the bars, reaching through to her. Twilight turned and took his hoof in hers.

“Listen to me, Twilight,” he said, staring intently at her. “I created Turing Test, that’s true. But you’re the one who raised her. You made her the pony she became. I can never lay claim to that.”

Twilight’s lip quivered, but she shut her eyes tightly, giving a short nod.

Satisfied, Cobbler turned his attention back to Celestia. “Now, what about those ponies who want a greater say in how their country is run? And those who are still calling for greater advancements in technology in Equestria?”

Celestia pursed her lips, looking away. “I confess that I don’t really know what to do,” she said. “I still do not believe Equestria is ready for a wholly democratic government, even if I admit it is more ready than I thought, nor am I certain where to begin in terms of evaluating or regulating technology. I am willing to work toward both, but I simply do not know how to proceed.”

For the first time in the last three days, Twilight managed a smile. “Actually, I think I have an idea,” she said.

She spoke. They listened. When she’d finished her proposal, they both agreed to throw their support behind it.

“Then there’s one more thing, Professor,” Twilight said.  “What about the other robots? In your testimony about what happened in that other plane, you stated that you promised Turing to ‘do right by them.’”

Cobbler bowed his head. “Indeed I did,” he said. “And I shall honor that promise. A Mustang’s word is his bond.” He turned to Celestia. “Princess, with your permission, if I could send for them…?”

Celestia nodded. “I’ll have them brought to you as soon as I can,” she said.

Twilight sighed with relief. “I’m glad,” she said.

The matter mostly settled, Twilight turned to leave Celestia and Cobbler to figure out the remaining details.

“Twilight!” Cobbler shouted.

Twilight paused, not looking back at him.

“I know you think she must have perished,” he said. “I know it looked like that’s what happened. But I have faith that my daughter is still alive. I’m not certain how, but something tells me that it’s so.”

Twilight still did not meet his eyes. “I want to believe that too,” she whispered, her voice breaking, and she walked away.

She held her head high and tried once again to fixate on a single point... but it was much more difficult to maintain your detachment when you couldn’t stop crying.


***


The invasion of Canterlot had been national news. The journalists and photographers in Canterlot had been there firsthoof, of course, and so the front pages of newspapers all across the nation had been plastered with images of the New Dawn, Cobbler, and, of course, Turing Test.

In no time at all, word had spread about the robotic hero who had saved Canterlot, reigniting public interest in automata and technology in general. As it turned out, all the propaganda TechQuestria had shown had fueled that even further. Talon Turing found himself faced with a slew of questions about his work, and the issue of Scientific Equestrian with his article about Turing Test quickly sold out, forcing a second printing. Cornelius Vanderbull was suddenly flooded with new investors, as were many of his competitors… a mixed blessing, by his reckoning.

Questions about the military’s readiness were also thrown around. Technology had been the deciding factor in the invasion, after all: the more technologically advanced troops from TechQuestria had overrun Canterlot, but in the end they were defeated in turn only because they hadn’t been prepared to fight a robot with none of the weaknesses of normal ponies. Quietly, Research and Development units were founded for both the Royal Guard and the Night Guard with the goal of improving Equestria’s military might. A few of TechQuestria’s scientists even came on board.

Work also began on some of the advancements TechQuestria had showcased. Plans were made for radio towers and telephone systems. Medicines like the cure for Bucker’s Hips were released. Dr. Hawkeye agreed to give a lecture in Canterlot regarding some of TechQuestria’s best advancements, making him something of a celebrity in medical circles. He could have had a job at almost any hospital in Equestria, but he stated that he wished to stay with TechQuestria when it established itself, since the fledgling nation would certainly need doctors.

And amid it all, the tributes and testimonies of Turing Test’s bravery spread throughout the land, even unto the furthest reaches of Equestria…


***


Dr. Chaise Lounge made her way up the hallway of the asylum, her hooves clicking on the checkered linoleum tiles. She carried a clipboard with a few papers as well as the latest newspaper to come from the capital. In that remote location up in the mountains, news travelled slowly.

She proceeded down the hallway a little further until she came to a particular room. She stepped inside and found one of the nurses checking the patient’s pulse.

She still slept there, still wearing her habit, still tied to her hospital bed, barely breathing, unchanged in all these months.

“Any change?” Dr. Chaise Lounge asked.

“No, doctor,” the nurse said. She peered over to see the newspaper she carried. “Oh, is that today’s paper?” she asked, snatching it up eagerly with her magic.

“Yes, and I suspect it’s something that would interest our patient here,” the doctor said. “Look at the story on the bottom half of the page.”

The nurse looked and began to read it. “This is about that robot… the one the patient confronted!”

Dr. Chaise Lounge nodded solemnly.

The nurse scanned the page. She frowned. “Oh,” she whispered. “How brave… to think that a mechanical pony did all that. Saving Equestria, stopping those terrorists, and even convincing the pony who created her to cooperate with the princesses… and after all that, she sacrificed her own life!”

Dr. Chaise Lounge sighed. “Yes, it’s a real loss,” she said. “Princess Twilight must… be…”

The nurse noticed the doctor had stopped speaking and looked up. Chaise Lounge’s eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open. She looked as though she’d seen a ghost.

“Doctor?” she asked. “What is it?!”

Then she followed her eyes. She turned around and looked. She screamed.

Grace lay there, her deep blue eyes open. She gave a long yawn.

“Oh my,” she murmured, smacking her lips. “You know, I’m not certain how long I was asleep, but for some reason now, I suddenly feel so very…”

She brought her lips up into a sweet smile, her eyes locking onto them.

“...refreshed.”


***


Pinkie Pie’s hooves crunched on the gravel as she approached the little cabin, the only structure for miles in the Western Badlands.

She hesitated for a moment, but then she knocked. She heard movement in the tiny cabin and took a deep breath.

The door opened. Maud Pie stood there, her expression emotionless as always.

“Oh,” Maud said, her eyebrows lifting slightly as she saw her sister standing there. “Pinkie. I didn’t expect…”

Then she stopped, seeing Pinkie’s deflated look. Her frown. Her reddened eyes.

“Maud,” she said softly. “I… I need to tell you something.”

Maud swallowed.

“It’s… it’s about Rinny.”

Maud froze. Her deadpan expression began to melt with glacial slowness. Her eyes widened as her lips parted.

“Come inside. Tell me,” she said.

Pinkie Pie’s lip quivered as she nodded, following her elder sister inside.

Pinkie Pie would remember a lot of things in her life. But the sight she saw that day broke her heart and haunted her for the rest of her life.

It was the first time she ever saw Maud cry.


***


Applejack felt her hooves sink into the soft earth as she came over the hill. It had rained a little bit the previous evening, and the weather was slightly humid as a consequence. She lifted the brim of her hat as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

When she reached the top of the hill, she looked around until she spotted the two she was looking for.

Descending the hill, she found Apple Bloom. The little filly was calling to her partner for the day who was setting down more buckets at the foot of a tall apple tree.

“Hey, sugarcube,” Applejack said, coming up behind her younger sister.

“Whoa!” Apple Bloom cried, putting a hoof to her chest. “Oh… sorry, Applejack, ya startled me. I didn’t even hear ya comin’.”

“Didn’t mean to give ya a fright,” Applejack said.

She and Apple Bloom turned their attention to the row of trees.

001 placed her final bucket under the tree.

“Okay, nice an’ easy now!” Apple Bloom hollered.

“Easy peasy cheese looks skeezy!” 001 shouted back, nodding emphatically as she turned to aim her hindquarters at the tree.

“How’s she doin’ so far?” Applejack whispered, leaning down to Apple Bloom.

“She tried to buck the last tree with ‘er head,” Apple Bloom whispered out the side of her mouth, forcing herself to smile as 001 looked over to them. “An’ that was still better’n the other tries before that. She was wearin’ the dang bucket on ‘er head, squishin’ apples on the ground, an’ it took what felt like years just to get ‘er to stop callin’ ‘em ‘peaches.’”

“That bad, huh?” Applejack asked, making a face.

“She ain’t nowhere near as good as…”

Apple Bloom frowned, her ears flattening as she bowed her head.

“Hey, no talk like that,” Applejack whispered. “She’s just takin’ a bit extra time to get the hang of it.”

“It ain’t that,” Apple Bloom said quietly, watching 001 take aim. “It’s… well, Applejack, when are ya gonna tell ‘er?”

Applejack bit her lip. “I ain’t decided yet,” she replied.

“I know it’s hard,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s still hard fer me to think about. I mean… are they even sure?”

“Depends on who you ask,” Applejack sighed. “Cobbler thinks Turing’s just lost somewhere. Rainbow Dash seems to think she’ll pop up again any day now with stories about bein’ teleported halfway around the world or somethin’. Fluttershy an’ Rarity just don’t wanna talk about it, but they ain’t holdin’ up too well. Gadget an’ that Umahara feller I told ya about are tryin’ to figure it out scientifically, though I couldn’t understand what they meant fer the life o’ me. Poor Pinkie went to go tell Maud. Twilight an’ Spike, well… they’re holdin’ out hope, but I can tell they’re both hurtin’. They’re afraid she ain’t comin’ back.”

“But what do you think, Applejack?” Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack bowed her head. “I saw ‘er, sugarcube,” she whispered. “I saw ‘er break apart into a million tiny pieces. I keep tellin’ myself that maybe what I saw wasn’t really what happened… but the truth is that I don’t see how she could still be alive.”

Apple Bloom gawked at her, tearing up. “But… but we hafta--”

“Me kick da twee now!” 001 shouted, waving to them both.

“Oh!” Apple Bloom cried, sucking in a deep breath as she turned her attention back to 001, giving her a reassuring smile. “Go on ahead, 001!”

“Yeah, you can do it!” Applejack added.

001 nodded and raised her back hooves, giving the tree a strong kick.

The apples rained down from the tree, landing squarely in the buckets 001 had positioned around it.

“She did it!” Apple Bloom cried. “001, ya did it!”

“Me dood it!” 001 shouted back, carrying over a bucket full of ripe, delicious apples. “Look Appajack, me get da appas! Lotsa appas!”

She jumped around, gallivanting proudly at her work.

“Heh,” Applejack chuckled. “Ya sure did, 001. Now let’s get ‘em to the house, an’--”

“Me cook!” 001 shouted. “Me make appa soup fo’ Appajack!”

“I think ya mean applesauce, sugarcube, an’ that really ain’t--”

“Appas go squish now!” 001 shouted, raising her hooves before she proceeded to stomp the apples and the basket into oblivion.

Applejack and Apple Bloom raised their forelegs, shielding themselves from the spray of pulped apples. Apple Bloom glanced over to Applejack, jerking her head in one direction, indicating that she should follow.

The two stepped off a short distance and Apple Bloom took a deep breath.

“Ya need to say somethin’ to 001,” she said.

Applejack looked over her shoulder at 001. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” she said.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Look, some folks think Turing might still be alive an’ other folks think she… ain’t. But the way 001’s actin’, it’s like she doesn’t even notice Turing Test is gone. I thought ya said she an’ Turing had bonded, but she acts like she don’t even care! Maybe she doesn’t understand. If that’s how it is… well, Applejack, I think ya oughta tell ‘er. At least then she can figure out how she feels.”

Applejack sighed. “I suppose yer right, sugarcube,” she said. Then she offered Apple Bloom a weak smile and ruffled her mane. “Not everyday that yer the one givin’ advice instead o’ me, lil’ sister.”

Apple Bloom blushed, but seemed to swell with pride. “I’d be glad to make it a habit, if ya want.”

Applejack chuckled. “Not if I have anything to say about it,” she said. “All right, you get the rest o’ those apples before 001 smashes ‘em. I’ll talk to ‘er.”

Apple Bloom nodded and did as she was told. Applejack, meanwhile, went back to where 001 was still obliterating the remaining chunks of apple into paste.

“Hey, 001,” Applejack said, “you can quit smashin’ them apples. Actually, I need to talk to ya about somethin’.”

001 stopped, turning to look at her.

“Listen,” Applejack sighed, “I… I wanted to talk to you about Turing Test.”

001 nodded. “Okay. We talk about sissa.”

She swallowed. “You… you remember what we all saw back in Canterlot, right?”

“Saw lotsa stuff.”

“Y-yeah, I know, but I mean… you saw what happened to Turing Test, didn’t ya?”

001 nodded again. “Turry Tess in sky. Big boat blowed up, but Turry Tess in big bright ball. Turry Tess very shiny. Then she turn into sparklies. Lotsa sparklies.”

Applejack bit her lip. So she did see it all, she thought. But it seems like she doesn’t understand it. I gotta try an’ help her understand…

“Sugarcube, you know we all love yer sister a whole lot, right?” she asked.

001 nodded. “My love sissa too! Turry Tess great sissa!”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “Yeah, she… she sure is.” She took a deep breath. “But… she’s gone now, 001.”

“Me know. She go.” 001 tilted her head to the side. “When she come back?”

Applejack felt a lump in her throat. “To tell the truth, we don’t know that she is comin’ back.”

001’s ears twitched. “No come back? Why no come back?”

“The truth is… I mean…” She paused, sniffling as she struggled to say it in a way 001 would understand. “We don’t know that she can come back. We… ain’t sure there’s anything left of ‘er! I mean… it’s… it’s possible that… that she’s--”

“She not dead.”

Applejack’s head snapped up as she gasped, staring at 001.  The robot was giving her a sideways look. It was the kind of look Granny Smith used to give her whenever Applejack had done something foolish. It was the kind of look that said, “Just how thick are ya?”

“She… ain’t?”

001 seemed to roll her eyes. “She no dead. She go big twee.” She started to walk away, apparently to try and gather more apples.

“H-hold up, now!” Applejack shouted, going over and seizing her by the shoulders. “What do you mean? What tree?!”


***


Twilight entered the throne room of her castle. The thrones bearing each of her friends cutie marks were arranged around the crystalline table at the center of the room.

Spike was taking an afternoon nap. She couldn’t blame him, of course… neither one had slept very well in the last few days. Partly to blame were all the meetings and letters they’d had to write to help Celestia and Luna manage the problem of dealing with TechQuestria. That had been difficult enough on its own, but it was made so much worse that she had to do it while grieving her loss.

She could still be alive, she told herself. We don’t know what happened.

That much was true. Cobbler certainly seemed to think so. But just the same, seeing what happened to her, it was difficult to know if he was right or if it was just wishful thinking.

Turing Test… we spent all that time getting her back only for this to happen…

She took a seat at her throne, looking at the magical table with tired, bloodshot eyes. She placed a hoof on it, causing the magical map of Equestria to appear. She stared out at the three-dimensional plane, the images of the cities, forests, and mountains sprawling out before her.

“I don’t suppose you know where she is,” Twilight whispered. “Do you?”

The map was silent as always. It merely glowed, showing the nation, but giving no answer to her question.

Twilight bowed her head. “I didn’t think so,” she said. She leaned over the table, burying her head in her forelegs. She was so tired…

Her eyes felt heavy. Despite the hardness of the table, its smooth, cool surface suddenly seemed very inviting. She shut her eyes and her breathing slowed. After many sleepless nights, Princess Twilight Sparkle slept.


***


…

…

“Twilight Sparkle.”


***


Twilight awoke with a jolt, gasping as she sat bolt upright.

She looked around for a moment, her heart still beating rapidly.

“T-Turing Test?!” she whispered breathlessly.

The room was empty, but she felt certain, absolutely certain that she’d heard her friend’s voice.

“Where…?”

She glanced down at the map, and the answer came to her.

Her eyes lit up, and for the first time in days, she broke into a beaming smile.

“Spike!” she shouted, galloping from the room. “Spike, come quick! I need you!”


***


Unit online. Beginning visual scan.

Her ocular sensors came on. There was a ceiling. It was a low, plaster ceiling, beige in color. She was in a perfectly square room. A dresser with a mirror over it was on one side of the room, and a writing desk near a bookcase was on the other. The floor was bare, wooden panels. A window across from her sent light streaming into the room.

Her ocular sensors could tell her that much. But something was wrong. She couldn’t tell the exact length and width of the room. She couldn’t register any infrared or ultraviolet light or any other energy signatures for that matter. But, for some reason, the warm, earthy colors of the wooden furniture were comforting.

Comforting… why should colors be that way? They are simply colors. That does not compute.

She raised her head. She was in a bed, lying under purple covers. She gently pushed the covers off her.

Suddenly she was awash with new input. She detected a slight change in pressure, temperature, and texture… but all the data was strange.

She tested this by sitting up, pressing her hoof into the bed. The mattress gave and bounced back. It was… soft? Squishy? It felt nice.

Felt?!

The data suddenly made sense. The bed was warm and soft. The smooth cotton sheets slid off her body as she sat up and she was feeling them on her hull.

She raised her foreleg and gasped.

Her foreleg was covered in gray fur.

“My hull!”

Her ears twitched, but there was no squeak that accompanied it.

My voice sounds different as well. I detect no metallic echo from my faceplate.

Her body was covered with fur, her ears didn’t squeak on her hinges, and she-- she realized she’d just gasped.

“I am… breathing?” she asked aloud. “What is happening? How can this be possible?”

Her eyes suddenly felt strange, and she blinked.

Then she froze. I blinked? I blinked! I… I have eyelids?!

It dawned on her what this could all mean and she got up, her hooves clattering on the wooden floor as she ran to her dresser. She placed her hooves on top of it to look into the oval mirror placed above it.

Her voice caught in her throat as tears filled her eyes. With a shaky hoof, she reached out and touched the mirror, confirming that the image before her was actually her own reflection.



The pony in the mirror looked back at her with familiar features: a gray coat, white curls in her mane, and vibrant purple eyes.

But the truth of what she was seeing dawned on her, and though she scarcely dared to speak for fear of it all ending, she whispered it to herself if only to confirm it to be true:

“I am… I am alive.”

She covered her mouth with her hooves, which she now realized were hard and bone-like. She sank to the ground, shivering with the realization, but then forced herself to stand to take in the sight of herself.

“My ears!” she exclaimed, bending them and watching how they moved and folded. “My mouth! I… I have lips! I have teeth! I have a tongue!”

She stuck it out and wiggled it, giggling at how silly she looked.

She froze. “I laughed! I…” She began to tear up again. “Oh… laughter really does feel wonderful!”

She shook her head, continuing to examine herself. “My eyes… they are so… so beautiful!” She walked back, examining her legs and tail, enjoying the sensation and the whispery sound of her hoof as she ran it along her coat to her flank.

She leaned back and tumbled to the ground, giggling as her back came to rest against her bed. She looked down at her belly and poked it, her giggling intensifying as she noted how soft and squishy it was.

“My body… it is so strange! My face, my legs, my tail, my hooves…”

Lost in a euphoric symphony of sensations, she brought her hooves to her chest and paused. As she breathed in and out, she could detect a rhythmic beating.

Her lip quivered, and she shut her eyes, holding her hooves to her chest. “M-my heart,” she whispered. “This sound is my own heart. My heart is beating…”

“Hey!”

She gasped and sat up. There was a voice coming from somewhere else in the house.

“Turing Test, we can hear you bumping around up there! Come on down, girl, you’re late for breakfast!”

Turing blinked. “Breakfast?” she asked.

Her belly rumbled.

“Oh!” she cried. “Oh, so this must be what it feels to be hungry! Yes! Yes, I am hungry!”

It still felt strange to hear how clear her voice sounded, but she decided not to dwell on it. Somepony was calling her, so she decided to respond.

“Acknowledged! I will be there in a moment!” she shouted back.

She opened her door and found herself in a hallway in a house. Her room was almost at the end, but there were other rooms on either side of the hallway. Many ponies lived in this house, apparently.

She followed down the hallway in the direction of the voice. A flight of steps led down to the first floor. She passed by the front door and turned to her left to see a living room with a fireplace, but she continued onward when a new sensation hit her.

Her nostrils twitched. She tried breathing in through her nose, and all at once it hit her.

I have olfactory senses! I can smell now! But what is this aroma…?

Her mouth began to water.

Ah… it is food. Oh, but if I can smell things, then that means I can taste them as well! I hope they have apple pie!

She ran through a doorway and was confronted with a sight. There was a spacious kitchen with a large table in the center. Several other ponies were seated around it. The pony at the head of the table was reading a newspaper, but he lowered it, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Well, good morning, sleepyhead!” he said. “Why, I thought I was going to need a bucket of water to wake you up! And don’t think I wouldn’t do it, too!”

It was Cobbler Mustang. Her father was sitting at the head of the table, enjoying breakfast.

“F-father?” she stammered.

“Last I checked,” he said, going back to his paper as he picked up a piece of toast.

“Daddy, no readin’ at the table!” said another familiar voice as its owner pushed down the paper.

Turing gawked when she saw her. It was Georgia Peach, and she was serving the rest of the family breakfast.

Turing looked at the others seated around the table as it dawned on her who they were: her family.

A gray, green-eyed pony with a messy white mane was seated next to Cobbler. She was face down in her breakfast, bits of egg and fruit all over her muzzle. She looked up and waved to Turing.

“Hi, Turry Tess!” she exclaimed, smiling at her. “You sleep too much! Big sleepyhead!”

001! Turing realized.

“Who could blame her?” said the next pony down from her in a harsh voice. She had the same gray coloring, but a longer mane and an eyepatch. She brushed her mane out of her face to look at Turing with her solitary yellow eye. “After all, sleep beats the tedium of real life any day.”

Turing gasped again. “002?” she asked.

“What?” 002 replied dryly, taking a sip of black coffee. “Are you going to tell me to be less gloomy? If so, you’re too late. Dad beat you to it.” She sighed, putting her foreleg on the table as she rested her chin on her hoof.

“Young lady, I’ll thank you to keep your existential angst and elbows off the table,” Cobbler said, giving her a sour look.

“Tch. I’ll take my elbows off,” she replied, “but the torment of the aching void that is my life is pervasive and all-consuming.”

“You hush now,” Georgia said, coming over to 002 and ruffling her mane as she placed another plate before her. “Save it for that poetry group you have this afternoon an’ eat your pineapple. Unless you don’t want it,” she added, reaching for the plate.

“I didn’t say that,” 002 said hurriedly, holding her forelegs protectively over the plate of pineapple.

Then a voice behind Turing said, “Sis? You are in my way.”

She whirled around, her heartbeat quickening when she recognized that deep, booming voice.

A very tall stallion stood there, gray like her other siblings, save Georgia, with a short mane and tail. He had hard, serious blue eyes that locked onto her as she looked down.

“004?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. “Will you please move? I would like to get my breakfast before I leave for work.”

He placed a police officer’s cap atop his head.

“Sorry, bro, but Georgia didn’t make any donuts,” 002 said with a snicker.

“I can eat many things besides donuts,” 004 stated matter-of-factly, coming into the kitchen as Turing stepped aside. “Though I do enjoy them.”

“Me like donuts!” 001 cried. “Do-nuts! Do-nuts! Do-dee-do-dee-dooonuts!” she sang.

“No donuts,” Georgia said, pulling out 004’s chair. “Just some eggs, fruit, an’ toast. You eat up now, hear?”

“Understood,” he said, somehow managing to fit his massive frame onto the tiny seat. He smiled at Georgia, adding, “Thank you, Georgia Peach.”

“Sure,” she said, smiling back. Then she looked to Turing. “Well, why on earth are you still standing there, Turing?” she asked. “Why, you look as though you’ve seen a ghost!”

Turing was speechless as she looked around at them all.


  


“You… you are all here,” she whispered. “You are all alive.”

“Turing Test, what a thing to say!” Cobbler exclaimed. Then he paused, frowning, and got to his hooves. “Oh, sweetheart, did you have a bad dream? Ohhh, you come here, now.”

And then, before she knew what was happening, he hugged her.

He is hugging me… my father… he is hugging me…

She began to tear up again as she returned the hug. She felt the warmth and safety of being embraced by another. Then another pair of forelegs were around her. Then another, and yet another.

Soon her whole family was there, holding her.

“Hush now,” Georgia whispered. “Ain’t no more nightmares here, Turing.”

Turing heard a sigh and saw 002 come over. She didn’t join the group hug, but she did pat Turing on the head.

“There there,” she mumbled. “There there…”

“Ah,” Turing said, managing a smile. “Thank you, everypony. I am sorry to have troubled you.”

“Uh huh, okay, good, now let’s knock off this syrupy, saccharine horse hockey and get back to breakfast!” 002 snarled, returning to her seat.

The others all chuckled, rolling their eyes as Turing took her seat.

Sitting before her were scrambled eggs, toast with butter and marmelade, and sliced peaches. There was also a hot cup of tea.

Turing picked up a slice of peach first, slowly opening her mouth, afraid to somehow do this wrong, and placed it between her teeth. She took a bite.

She breathed in, her eyes going wide as the sweetness and texture of the fruit filled her mouth, the juice bursting as she chewed. She chewed and chewed until at last she began to attract some strange looks and realized she was supposed to swallow.

As she felt it slide down her throat, her belly growled. Apparently, it wanted more.

For the first time ever, she ate her breakfast.

“By the way, Turing Test, Georgia would like your help planting her garden this morning,” Cobbler said, “but don’t forget about that picnic you’ve got with your friends, all right?”

“M-my friends?” Turing stammered.

“Yes,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. “You know… Twilight, Fluttershy, that nice Rarity girl…”

“Oh!” she cried. “Of course! My friends! My friends are here!”

“No, they’re not,” 002 snapped. “They’re at home. You’re meeting them at the park, if you forgot. Ugh… you’re even goofier than usual today.”

“You do seem a mite goofy,” Cobbler said, shrugging his shoulders. “But just the same, try not to be late. Your big sister made you a peach pie just for the occasion, after all. Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold!”

Turing nodded, returning to her meal as a thought filled her mind: How can this possibly be?


***


That same question was on her mind as she made her way through Ponyville that afternoon. And yet, as she walked past the buildings and shops and ponies she knew so well, she could barely stay focused on it.

Everywhere she went, she saw her friends as they waved to her. Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy, the Doctor, Vinyl and Octavia, Bulk Biceps, the Mayor, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and so many more… they all looked at her like it was the most normal thing in the world. And as she went, feeling the blades of grass and dirt beneath her hooves and the warm sunshine on her face, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling even as she carried her picnic basket in her teeth.

She paused every so often to say hello, to stop and smell the flowers for sale, noting how they differed from the ones in Georgia’s garden, and to admire the things being sold in the windows. At long last, she found that she had an opinion about their colors and shapes, and wondered how she could ever have looked at them before without grasping how beautiful or ugly things looked.

And still, at each shop window, she caught herself refocusing her gaze and noting her own reflection. And knowing the pony in the mirror was her, she felt a little thrill that sent shivers down her spine.

It is so nice to know what shivers are, and to know what it means to have them go down your spine, she told herself. Also, having a spine. That is nice as well.

At each window, she tried making faces, contorting her ears, lips, and eyes into different expressions to experiment showing the sort of emotions she’d seen her friends do before. She had been right about how expressive eyes could be…

“Ohhh,” she moaned. “I love my new eyelids.” She shut her eyes, rubbing her eyelids as she sighed affectionately.

“What are you doing?”

Turing froze, removing her hooves. Her cheeks felt hot. Ah, so this is embarrassment… I do not think I like it.

“Ah ha ha, my apologies,” she chuckled nervously as she turned. Wait… that voice sounds familiar…

She faced the pony who’d spoken to her and froze.

It was Maud Pie. “Hello, Turing,” she said in her usual deadpan. “Were you just rubbing your eyelids?”

Turing’s blush intensified. “I…” She tried to think of some sort of lie, but then paused, realizing that she didn’t want the first thing she said to Maud Pie as an organic to be a lie. “Yes. I was,” she admitted.

“Hm,” Maud Pie murmured. Then she gave her a half smile. “All right. I just wanted to know.”

Turing smiled and looked over Maud Pie more directly, noting the color of her frock, her mane, her tail, and her eyes… and the shape of her body as it curved out near her flank…

She felt her heart rate begin to accelerate. All at once, she felt very different. Nervous… but also giddy. She felt a strange, tingly sensation, marveling in the change this was producing in her body.

“Oh, ah, Maud Pie… what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I need to buy some cleaning fluid for Boulder,” she said, removing the small pebble from her pocket. “He got kind of dirty playing Camouflage earlier.”

“But why are you in Ponyville?”

Maud raised an eyebrow. “I live here,” she said.

Turing’s grin widened.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Maud asked. “You’re acting like you didn’t know.”

“I am sorry, Maud Pie,” she said. “It seems that I am… confused today.”

Maud nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said nonchalantly. She turned to go.

“Ah, wait, M-Maud Pie?” Turing asked, reaching after her.

“Hm?” Maud asked.

“May… may I…” She gulped, feeling her chest tighten. “May I please hold you?”

Maud’s expression didn’t change, but she did draw in a breath rather sharply.

“Okay,” she said.

Turing approached her gingerly, raising her forelegs as she slowly encircled them around Maud. Then she held her, feeling the warmth of her body and the beating of her heart beating in time with her own, and the faint smell of her mane.

Ohhh, I love this, she realized. This is what it means to hold her.

She sighed and rested her head on Maud’s shoulder. “Maud Pie,” she whispered contentedly.

Maud hugged her back. “I’m glad to see you too,” she said, patting her on the back. “But we should probably stop. Some ponies are starting to stare.”

“O-oh, yes, of course!” Turing said hurriedly, laughing as she released her.

Maud paused, rubbing her chin. “Do you want to go out tonight?” she asked. “We could have dinner, or go to the cinema, or see some stand-up comedy.”

Turing beamed. “Yes, Maud Pie! I would enjoy all of those things!”

“Okay,” Maud said. “I’ll come by at seven.”

She leaned in. Turing gasped, startled by the gesture…

And then Maud’s lips were on hers.

They are so warm… and so soft…

Maud drew back. It was only a brief kiss, but it was the first Turing had ever experienced.

“See you tonight,” Maud said, turning and walking away.

Turing only grinned, giving a happy sigh as she watched Maud Pie go.


***


Turing galloped up the hill in the middle of the park, arriving on the scene.

“Oh, there you are, Turing!” Twilight said, seeing her standing there. “We were starting to worry!”

“More like we were about to starve!” Rainbow Dash groaned, rubbing her belly. “Since when are you this slow, Tee?”

Turing set down her picnic basket gently, and then she stared at them all, her mouth hanging open.

“Careful, Rinny!” Pinkie Pie said, going over to her and shutting her mouth for her. “If you keep your mouth open like that, you’ll catch flies!”

“An’ they won’t taste half as good as all the food we got here!” Applejack added. “Speakin’ o’ which, I sure hope you brought that peach pie o’ yer sisters! It ain’t as good as Granny’s apple pie, but it sure is somethin’!”

But then they all stared as Turing Test’s eyes filled with tears and she began to cry.

“Turing?!” Twilight exclaimed, going over to her and putting her hoof on her shoulder. “Are you hurt? Was it something we said? What’s wrong?!”

But Turing suddenly embraced her, holding her tightly as she rocked her back and forth. “Nothing is wrong, Twilight Sparkle,” she whispered. “Everything is perfect now…”


***


If breakfast had been an experience in and of itself, the picnic lunch was even better. She stuffed her face full of the tiny cucumber sandwiches Fluttershy brought and then guzzled cup after cup of Rarity’s punch.

“My goodness!” Rarity exclaimed. “Darling, you’re eating as though you never have before!”

“I’m just glad she likes it all so much,” Fluttershy said.

“Yes, yes, I appreciate that she likes it,” Rarity said, making a face, “but she doesn’t have to wolf it all down like that!”

“Rarity’s right!” Spike said. “After all… if you eat too much now, you won’t want any dessert!”

Turing froze. “Dvrt?” she manage to say with her mouth stuffed full of food.

Applejack held up the two pies. “Hey, you brought one yerself,” she said. “Now, if you don’t want a slice--”

Turing gulped. “I would love one!” she cried. “I want to try both!”

Twilight laughed. “You’re acting so enthusiastic today, Turing!” she said.

Then her expression changed, turning almost somber. “It’s… it’s very nice to see.”


***


The pies were quickly sliced and devoured. Turing Test honestly couldn’t decide which of them she’d enjoyed more, but she was more than willing to conduct more tests to find out.

Her belly full almost to the point of discomfort, she lay on the blanket, stretching out her legs and giving a contented moan.

“Today… this was everything I ever wanted,” she said aloud.

“It was?” Twilight replied. “That’s good. We’re so glad.”

“But I cannot understand it,” Turing said. Then she frowned. “My family is here in Ponyville. We are all together and whole again. My friends are here and safe. Maud Pie is here with me, and we can be together. And… and I am experiencing so many new sensations… these senses… this body…”

The others were all strangely quiet. She watched a cloud go by, noting it was shaped like a crescent moon.

“What has happened?” she asked, sitting up. “Was the life I once had all an illusion? Was I never a robot?”

The others were all silent. She didn’t turn to look at them, and wondered if she should say anything at all, but still she persisted.

“I can remember it all,” she said. “I remember the things I did. The memories of my life are as vivid to me now as this picnic and this perfect day… they must have been real. Yes, that was real. I was a robot, but now it seems that I am not. This all seems like paradise… paradise…”

She gasped. “Perhaps this is some sort of afterlife,” she said. She whirled around, looking to all her friends who all wore sad smiles. “But if this is so… then I have died. And… oh no… my friends, you too have--”

“That is… not quite correct,” said a new voice. The world seemed to freeze, and a tone rang out overhead.

Turing looked up at the cloud shaped like the crescent moon. It shifted and morphed and drifted down to earth before dissipating. In its place stood a pony she knew well.

“Princess Luna!” Turing cried, getting to her hooves. “Why are you here?”

“Surely you must realize it by now, don’t you?” Luna replied.

Turing blinked. If this was no afterlife, and if her old life was real, and if Luna was here now, then…

“This is not real,” Turing whispered. “I am… dreaming?”

Luna nodded, giving her a gentle smile.

“But how can that be?” Turing asked. “As a robot, I have never dreamed. I believed that it was impossible for me to dream!”

“Not in this place,” Luna said.

Turing tapped her chin. “In ‘this place’? Then where are we?”

“Turing, listen closely,” she said. “We finally learned what happened to you.

“001 told Applejack that you were in ‘a big tree,’ and Twilight Sparkle heard your voice while asleep at the map in her castle, the one connected to the Tree of Harmony, the source of the Elements. With that, in addition to the research produced by young Gadget and Mr. Umahara, we realized the truth: rather than being destroyed, the Tree of Harmony, once its energy had been purified, used its powers to save you, converting you into a kind of… how did Gadget say it? ‘Energy-based data.’ For some reason, you and your sister seem to have some ingrained ability to communicate with it on some level, and it managed to save you.

“But try as we might, we could not communicate with you. It was as though you were asleep. Therefore, Twilight Sparkle called upon me to help lure you out by giving you something you could not resist: we created a dream depicting your perfect life. This reality around us is the result of that, and lo and behold, you are here.”

Turing blinked. “Then this is all an illusion?” she asked quietly. “I am not truly alive?”

Luna frowned, going to her and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “No, Turing Test,” she said. “But it was, we thought, the best way to draw your consciousness out. We did it to save you so you could rejoin your friends. Your friends did it because they love you and want you back.”

Turing stared back at her for a moment, but then she smiled, tears coming to her eyes. “I see,” she said. “Then all this is merely a gift that you gave me. It is so so wonderful. At last I know what it means to be like other ponies. I know what it means to be alive.”

“No, Turing,” Luna said, shaking her head, “you know what it means to be an organic pony. You were always ‘alive’.”

Turing sniffed, wiping her eyes. “Perhaps you are correct,” she said, laughing quietly to herself. “But it is a shame… I only wish I had been able to share this wonderful experience with my friends. I wish they were really here.”

Then somepony behind her cleared her throat. “Wellll, since you know the truth now anyway,” Rainbow Dash said.

Turing whirled around to look at her friends. They all smiled back at her.

“You mean,” she began, “that you are all here? You are all sharing this dream with me?!”

“That’s right, Turing,” Twilight said. “Luna needed all of us to help form this combined dream, and she needed our connection to the Elements to link to the Tree of Harmony to get to you. We’re all here.”

“And I must say, darling,” Rarity said, going over to Turing and fixing her mane, “you really do look lovely as a normal pony. But just the same, I find that I miss your ‘classic’ look.”

“I’m glad you liked my sandwiches, though!” Fluttershy said, coming over to her as well.

“I was hoping we’d get to have a race, but I guess the dream version of you doesn’t have wings,” Rainbow Dash sighed, elbowing her and giving her a sly wink.

“My friends,” Turing said. “My friends!”

She suddenly embraced Twilight, laughing and crying at once. Never before had she felt so much joy, and she wondered how even an organic pony’s heart could hold it all.

“Turing,” Twilight whispered as she held her. “I’m so glad you had the chance to experience this… but you have to make a tough decision now.”

Turing tilted her head to the side. “Decide what, Twilight Sparkle?” she asked.

“She means,” Luna said, “that it’s time for this dream to end. But, if you choose, you could stay here within the Tree of Harmony. If you do, then you should be able to use your consciousness to create your own dreams. You could form your own life here, living in a simulated reality like this one where you could live life as an organic.

“The other choice is to return with us. But if you do, you will once again be a robot, and this dream will--”

“I will return,” Turing said immediately.

They all froze, their eyes going wide.

“Turing,” Twilight murmured. “Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?”

Turing smiled and nodded. “I am certain, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “My life as a robot was imperfect, and I am glad to be able to experience these sensations as an organic being, but the life I built for myself was my own. It has value to me because it is real, even if it is flawed. The truth is that I am a robot; it is part of who I am, and you have all helped me to understand that being a robot does not make me any less of a pony.

“Someday, I hope that I will be able to experience these sensations again, but more important than those things is the time I spend with all of you, the ones I love more than anything.

“I need you all in my life, and I want to be a part of your lives as well. Even the sweetest illusion cannot compare to being myself with all of you.”

Twilight was silent, but she held her hooves to her chest, smiling at her proudly.

“Then, are you ready to return?” Luna asked.

Turing nodded, turning to look at her friends one last time as an organic being. “My friends… thank you…”


***


Twilight and the others awoke, raising their heads from where they slept around the table at the center of the throne room. Luna was floating just above them, her horn still glowing with the dream magic she’d used on them all.

“Did it work?” Spike asked.

They all looked around. Turing was not among them.

“Oh no!” Fluttershy cried. “Did something go wrong?”

“No,” Luna said, opening her eyes. “Just a moment…”

The table before them began to glow. Then, slowly, something began to rise up from it like a creature emerging from the waters of a lake, barely disturbing the surface.

Turing Test rose higher and higher and higher until she stood squarely at the center of the table, completely emerged. The magical glow of the table subsided, leaving only the mechanical mare standing in silence.

Her eyes were dark, but they suddenly blinked on and she began to look around. She looked down and saw her friends staring up at her.

“Hello--oh!” She paused, realizing her voice was back to sounding synthetic, the metallic ring and mechanical stiffness of her speech back in place. She shook her head. “Hello, my friends. I am back.”

The others leaped onto the table, cheering as they embraced her.

She registered the pressure and texture of them hugging her against her hull. She raised her foreleg, moving it gingerly as if to test it.

Twilight noticed the gesture. “Turing?” she asked uncertainly as she let her go. “Are you all right?”

Turing continued moving her leg for a moment. It was heavy, stiff, and dead to all feeling. She was receiving sensory data, but she could no longer feel it.

The sensations are gone, she noted. They are all gone now. I cannot feel as I did in my dream. I had not fully realized how much I would miss them…

She put her hoof down. “I apologize, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “I was only testing something.”

They all got down from the table.

“We’re so glad to have you back, Turing,” Twilight said. “You… you really worried us all.”

“I apologize for causing you concern,” Turing said. “I am glad to be back with you now, however. But perhaps you can assist me with something: my internal chronometer only detects that a few minutes have passed since my disappearance above Canterlot, yet evidence suggests that this is incorrect. What length of time has actually passed?”

“It’s been about two weeks, Turing,” she said.

Turing’s eyes momentarily shrank before returning to normal size. “Two whole weeks?”

“It really took us some time to figure this all out. We’re just glad it worked!”

“And I bet we’re not the only ones!” Pinkie said in a sing-songy voice as she bounced over to the doors to the throne room.

She opened them and Turing saw who was standing there.

“Maud Pie!” Turing exclaimed.

Maud’s eyes widened, and she calmly trotted over to her.

“You aren’t dead,” Maud said.

Turing shook her head. “No, Maud Pie. I am not dead.”

Maud dropped her eyes to the side and said, “I’m glad.”

Turing shuffled her hooves. “Maud Pie… I wanted to tell you…”

Maud’s lip quivered, and then she suddenly threw her forelegs around her, holding her tight.

“Oh,” Turing said, returning the hug. “Maud Pie… My sweet, wonderful Maud Pie. I am so glad to see you.”


***


“So, let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Gadget said. “The Tree of Harmony is… I mean, the way you describe it, it sounds like a machine!”

She was accompanied by Umahara, Twilight, and Turing Test as they all walked to the train station in Canterlot.

“It would explain why you were able to communicate with it somewhat, Turing,” Umahara said.

“I do not understand it fully myself,” Turing said. “However, there is data of unknown origin in my memory banks that seems to indicate the intention of the Tree of Harmony. As we have surmised, the corruption of the Elements by the Harmonic Drive was causing the Tree of Harmony pain, but I, due to my mechanical nature, was able to interpret its signals as a kind of ‘sound’ or ‘voice.’ During my time within it, it managed to convert and store my being as data, and due to its connection with Twilight Sparkle as well as the two royal sisters, it was able to reach out to them as well to allow me to find a path back to you all.

“But all of this seems to stem from the fact that the Tree of Harmony itself was compatible with me. This may be because we are somewhat based on the same form of technology. The magical runes the Yudacorns used to create their golems may have in turn had their basis on something else that existed long ago.”

“And that ‘something’ was the Tree of Harmony?!” Umahara gasped.

“Or maybe something else that the Tree also originated from,” Gadget wondered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

“I believe Gadget may be correct,” Turing said. “From the small amount of data I was able to interpret, the Tree of Harmony is some form of techno-organic being that had its origin with something that existed long before pony civilization began. I have no knowledge of what it was or where it came from, but I did learn that it was called ‘The Caretaker.’”

They all stared at her.

“Wow,” Twilight breathed. “I… am going to write so many research papers!” she squealed.

“I’d call her a nerd,” Gadget said before she also took on a giddy, somewhat manic grin, “but oh my gosh, so am I!”

The two of them were practically bouncing on their hooves as Canterlot citizens around them all gave them sour looks for their improper display.

“All these stuffy Canterlot types,” Umahara grumbled. “I’m sick of them. I’m glad that I’m leaving today.”

Gadget frowned, her ears folding back. “Yeah,” she said. “But it was nice working with you to help get Turing Test back.”

“Yes, that’s true,” he said. “And I guess Celestia isn’t so bad compared to the image I had of her in my head, so working with her to help set up this plan for TechQuestria wasn’t so bad. And if it wasn’t for her pardoning me and giving me back my father’s license, I wouldn’t be taking this trip to go see him now.”

“I’m glad you’re going to see him,” Twilight said. “He sounds like a very kind pony.”

“He is,” Umahara said. “And I’ve barely spoken to him since he left TechQuestria. I’m going to apologize for that and try to make up for it. Maybe I should have left with him all those years ago.”

“But if you had,” Turing pointed out, “you would not have become a spy for TechQuestria, and then you would not have met all of us. Including Gadget.”

“Yeah,” he said, grinning. “I guess you’re right.”

They arrived at the train platform and were greeted by an unexpected guest.

“Gadget! There you are!”

They saw the tall figure striding over to greet them.

“Mr. Vanderbull!” Gadget cried, galloping up to him. “Sir, you’re here! I thought you said you’d meet me in Manehattan!”

“I decided to come and join you personally,” he said. “You’ve taken quite a bit of leave these last few weeks, my dear--”

“Oh!” Gadget cried. “I-I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to neglect my duties!”

“No no no,” Vanderbull said, waving his hand dismissively. “I only meant that you’ve been doing some fascinating work and I wanted to hear all about it on the train ride over. Your reports sent via telegram have been useful, but discussing these matters face to face really would be best. After all, very soon the TechQuestrians will be licensing or outright selling some of their innovations, and I intend to make sure that Vanderbull Industries is at the forefront of this new technological revolution. You, my dear, have firsthoof experience, so I’ll be counting on you to help me make the best decisions.”

She beamed, saluting him. “Yes sir, Commodore!” she said. “And, um, sir?”

“Yes, Gadget?”

Then she used her mechanical limbs to lift herself up to his level and hugged him tightly. “I’m really glad to see you again, sir,” she said quietly.

“Ah,” the gruff old minotaur said, patting his young assistant on the back. “I am very glad to see you as well, Gadget. You’ve made me very proud. And I’ve spoken to your parents, so I know they’re very proud of you too.”

Then he peered around Gadget, noticing Twilight, Turing Test, and Umahara. He gently pushed Gadget back and strolled over to them.

“Ah, Princess Twilight,” he said, bowing to her, “it’s a pleasure to see you again. And you too, Turing Test. I’ve been reading about the tales of everypony’s bravery in the newspapers and in Gadget’s letters.”

“Oh, it’s really nothing,” Twilight said, blushing slightly as she waved off the compliment. “Really, it’s not that impressive.”

“Well, perhaps a little,” Turing said.

Twilight shot her a look.

“I am not certain why you are giving me that look, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “We kicked flank and took names. Not literally, though, at least in most cases. I only mean that our efforts were very successful compared to the overall odds of success given at the time of--”

“Yes, yes, okay, we were great!” Twilight groaned.

Vanderbull chuckled, but then he glanced over to Umahara, who had gone stiff and was trying hard not to meet his eyes, and his look turned cold.

“So that just leaves you,” Vanderbull said. “You’re Mr. Umahara, formerly known as Fine Print?”

Umahara gulped. “Y-yes, sir,” he replied.

He raised an eyebrow and turned to Gadget.

“Did you punch him?” he asked.

“Yes sir!” Gadget said emphatically. “Right in the nose!”

“Good girl,” he said, smirking. “Now then… I must confess that I’m not sure how I feel about you. You helped my assistant, true, but you also electrocuted her, terrorized her, and sent more of your agents after her.”

Umahara gulped.

“Mr. Vanderbull, please!” Gadget cried. “Just leave him alone, he’s risked a lot to help me and the others! And he helped us figure out how to save Turing Test!”

“Hmph,” Vanderbull said. “I suppose.”

Then he bent down and looked Umahara right in the eyes. “Listen carefully, young stallion,” he said gruffly. “You seem to have redeemed yourself. But if you ever hurt my assistant again or betray her trust, I will pull your tail out by its roots. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

Umahara nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Very good, then,” he said, standing back up. “Gadget, our train should arrive in 20 minutes. I take it the train currently boarding is Mr. Umahara’s?”

“Yes, sir!” she said.

“Very well, then,” he said, turning his back as he began to walk away. “Say your farewells and join me in the lobby.”

She smiled, then glanced over to Twilight and Turing.

“Oh, um, hey, Turing,” Twilight said, taking the robot by the foreleg. “Let’s go check out… this… thing over here!”

“Understood,” Turing said, following her. “I enjoy things.”

Now left alone, Gadget and Umahara stood side-by-side stiffly, watching as more and more ponies boarded the train.

“Gadget, I--”
“Umahara, I--”

They both stopped, then chuckled at their own awkwardness.

“Gadget, spending all this time with you lately has been… it’s been great,” Umahara said. “And I know what you said earlier, but… I don’t know, part of me just…”

He sighed, trailing off.

“I know what you mean,” Gadget said, her cheeks coloring again. “You’re sweet and you’re interesting, and I do like you. I mean… yeah, I like you.”

“Yeah?” he asked hopefully.

“Y-yeah,” she said quietly. Then she heaved a sigh. “But part of the problem is that I still have at least a little bit of resentment about what you did. It’s small, but it’s there. And I could overlook that, but then there’s just the question of what we both want to do with our lives. I’m staying in Manehattan with Mr. Vanderbull. And you… well, do you even know what you’ll do after you spend time with your father?”

Umahara ran his tongue around the inside of his cheek. “I’ve thought about it,” he said. “I could go into freelance work. Or I could rejoin TechQuestria and help them establish their country. Or I could come back here to Canterlot… some members of the Royal Guard think I could help them develop better technology for the battlefield.”

Gadget smiled. “That all sounds nice.”

“But…?”

Her smile faded, and she sighed. “But until you know where you want to be and what you want to do, I’m not sure a relationship would be the smartest idea for either of us. You should make a decision based on what you really want, not around a relationship that hasn’t really started.”

Umahara was quiet. “And what if you’re really what I want?”

Gadget’s blush deepened. “D-don’t say things like that,” she whispered. “They’re sweet, but we’re both smart enough to know rushing into something would be bad. After you’ve decided - and you need to make a decision without me being a factor - then we can see about going somewhere else with this, if that’s what we want.”

He nodded. “I see what you mean,” he said. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Okay, I’ll think very hard about it. And if, just if I end up somewhere or someplace where we can give things a try?”

She moved closer to him. “Then you darn well better buy me lunch, you hoser,” she said.

He closed his eyes, nodding. “Okay,” he whispered. This close to her, the scent of her strawberry-scented shampoo filled his nostrils.

The conductor of the train called for all passengers to board.

Gadget and Umahara locked eyes.

She reached up, putting her hoof to his cheek, and kissed him once, gently.

“Good luck,” she said.

He nodded, giving her one last hug. “You too,” he said.

He gave her a smile as he galloped away, boarding the train. A moment later, it pulled out of the station, and he was gone.

Gadget heard hoofsteps behind her. Twilight and Turing Test stood on either side of her, holding her gently.

“Are you okay, Gadget?” Twilight asked.

Gadget sighed. “Yeah, I’m all right,” she said. “Will you two stay with me and Mr. Vanderbull until we leave?” she asked.

“Of course,” Twilight said.

“And I am certain that our paths will cross again soon,” Turing added.

“Yeah,” Gadget said, perking up a little. “You know, I’ll just bet that you’re right.”


***


The stairs spiraled around a stone column, leading upward to the room at the top of the tower.

“Ugh,” Twillight groaned. “I wish I didn’t have to walk up all these steps every time I came here.”

“You could fly,” Turing remarked.

“I… well, I guess I could,” she said. “But I keep feeling like I’ll bump into the walls, fall, and then tumble down the steps. I know, I’m probably being paranoid, but I can’t help feeling like that would happen.”

“It is a shame that you cannot teleport directly to the top,” Turing said. “But as you said, the magical cancellation enchantments placed on this tower would make it impossible.”

Twilight couldn’t help but notice that Turing was moving slightly faster than normal.

“You’re eager to see him, aren’t you?” Twilight surmised, smiling warmly at her.

“Affirmative,” she said. “I have not seen him since I vanished. I…”

She paused suddenly.

“Turing?” Twilight asked.

“Will he want to see me?” she asked. “I was the cause of his incarceration, after all. Perhaps he will--”

“Turing.”

She turned to see Twilight smiling at her reassuringly.

“You’re being silly,” she said. “I know that he wants to see you. He believed you would return more than almost anypony else. You’re the one who saved him, after all. You’re the one he cares about most now.”

Turing nodded. “You are correct, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “I apologize. I was simply nervous. Let us proceed.”

They went up to the top of the tower. There were two guards posted at the door (which, considering the guards at the foot of the tower, seemed excessive to Twilight), and they saluted Twilight.

“At ease, Guards,” she said. “We’re here to visit the prisoner. The others will be here shortly.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” they both said in unison, parting ways as one unlocked the door.

They entered and found themselves in a simple circular room. It was fairly small for being at the top of a tower on the palace grounds, but it was nonetheless decorated in typical Canterlot style: ivory-white marble walls, a smooth stone floor, and some furniture including a plush red couch, a bed, an ottomare, a large desk covered with blueprints and schematics, and a bookshelf. It might have been a fairly nice apartment if it hadn’t been for the bars on the windows.

In the center of the room, working at a table, was the sole occupant. He wore his boots, jacket, and goggles, a screwdriver in his mouth as he continued working on the machinery on the table.

“Back again, Princess Twilight?” Cobbler asked without glancing up. “Just a moment, I’ve almost finished adjusting this little doodad.”

Turing stepped forward. “Father?” she asked quietly.

Cobbler froze. He raised his head, staring at her through his goggles for a moment before he pulled them off.

“Turing Test,” he breathed.

Turing stepped closer. “Hello, Father,” she said. “I… it is good to see you, and I wish to express that--”

He ran over to her and hugged her without another word.

“Thank the stars you’re back,” he whispered. “Oh, my sweet girl, I’m so glad to see you safe.”

Turing’s eyes shrank to pinpricks. “You… you are glad to see me? You are not upset at me for stopping your plans?”

“Oh, don’t you fret about that,” he said. “I was a fool to think that was the right way to go about things. Why, if you hadn’t stopped me, things might have been much worse. Besides, all things considered, I… why, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you!”

“It is all right, Father,” Turing said. “You were not aware of my sentience.”

“Well, if I hadn’t had my head stuffed clear up my own…”

He paused, noting the look of distaste on Twilight’s face.

“Oh, but forgive me, I did not mean to be so vulgar,” he said, chuckling nervously. “And it’s very nice to see you again, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight smiled. “And I’m glad to see you too, Professor Mustang.”

“No, no, just ‘Cobbler’ is fine, like I told you,” he said.

“And it’s just ‘Twilight,’” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He laughed. “Ha! Right you are! Well now, I see you’ve brought me back my daughter. I must admit, I just about bawled like a newborn foal when I saw your letter, Twilight.”

He turned to look at Turing Test. He frowned, noticing that she was shivering, her metal exterior rattling as she did so.

“Turing?” he asked. “Why, what’s the matter?”

“Father,” she said. “You… you called me your daughter. You are not upset with me. You… I…”

“Oh, hush now,” he said, hugging her again. “I know I did some awful things to you. And for that, I am truly sorry. But I want you to know how sorry I am. I don’t care if they’ve got me under house arrest for the next ten years; the only thing that matters to me now is my family. Besides, the Princesses even said that I can commute my sentence by offering my expertise and using my talents to benefit the nation. Community service, you might say.

“And if it wasn’t for you, sweetheart, I wouldn’t have any of it. I’d just be some bitter old stallion regretting the war he’d caused.

“Turing Test… you are my daughter. And I love you.”

Turing bowed her head. “Father… oh, Father, I--”

There was a knock at the door. The guards behind it unlocked it and opened it, letting in the new visitors.

“Ah,” Cobbler said. “I see the others have arrived.”

Auntie Bellum came in first. Behind her was Applejack, Unit 001 directly behind her. Then, bringing up the rear were Unit 004 and Unit 002.

“Glad to see you all here,” Cobbler said, chuckling nervously. “Well, I’m glad y’all could join me here today, because I--”

Auntie Bellum stomped forward and slapped him across the face.

“Cobbler Mustang, you are a dang fool an’ I have half a mind to paddle your behind harder than I did when you were just a colt!” she shouted. “I knew you were up to somethin’, but to think you had an entire hidden empire underground, plannin’ to throw the whole of Equestria into a dang civil war?! I should’ve made you tell me! If I’d known, I never would’ve stood for it! I… why… oh, you dang fool, boy, what’ve you gotten yourself into!”

She broke down, holding her nephew, patting him on the head. “Oh, I’m so sorry, precious, but your old Auntie Bellum’s here now.”

Cobbler blushed. “Auntie, please, you’re embarrassing me,” he said.

“Not half as much as you’ve embarrassed me, you silver-tongued halfwit!” she shouted, slapping him again. “You made a liar outta me! You said you didn’t know a thing about that automaton over there--”

“Robot,” Turing said.

“Oh, yes, pardon me,” Auntie said, nodding to Turing Test, before looking back at Cobbler, “--that robot over there, an’ you did! You had a whole mess o’ robots! An’ now you have the nerve to send me a letter tellin’ me they’re family?! What’s in your head, boy?!”

Cobbler shoved her back. “It ain’t no joke, Auntie!” he exclaimed.

“Boy, don’t you talk to me like that!”

“Slap him again!” 002 shouted.

They all turned and looked to her.

“It was the highlight of my day,” 002 said, shrugging her shoulders. “Oh… nice to see you again, 003.”

“Hello again, 002,” Turing said, waving to her. Then she turned to Auntie Bellum. “I know this may seem difficult, but we are all the creations of your nephew. Therefore, we are his children, and you, in turn, are our great aunt. I am very pleased to meet you. My name is Turing Test.”

Auntie Bellum pursed her lips, moving them in and out. “Hm… well, she’s got good manners at least. I… well, I reckon I’ll need some time to think this over.”

“Of course,” Turing said.

“Well, now that we’ve settled that,” Cobbler continued, clearing his throat. “I believe I should address you, my children.”

The other robots gathered and exchanged looks at that.

“I realize that I’ve done some terrible things, not the least of which is not respecting y’all as real, sentient ponies,” he said. “I intend to do right by all of you. I realize you may have hard feelings about how you were treated, but those times are over. Princess Celestia is extending the same right of citizenship to you that she did to Turing Test. And so, I now designate each one of you your own end user.”

They all stared at him. “I don’t suppose this applies to you, 001, but the others probably need this done officially: 002, 004, I order you to delete me as your end user and designate yourself as your new end user.”

They continued to stare at him.

001 took a step forward. She looked back at Applejack for reassurance. Applejack motioned for her to go on. She walked up to Cobbler.

“You say you not Dada,” she said quietly. “You say me not Joja. You not Dada.”

Cobbler swallowed. “It’s true that you’re not Georgia,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t somepony special, 001. I’m sorry that I treated you that way all those years ago, but I just didn’t… well, the reason doesn’t matter that much. What matters is that I’m sorry for treating you so badly and leaving you in that box for so long. And, if you’ll have me, I’d like to be your daddy again.”

001 tilted her head back and forth. “Not Da be Dada again?”

Cobbler looked to Applejack, who nodded.

“Well… yes.”

001’s head shot up. “Dada!” she exclaimed, hugging him instantly.

“You…” Cobbler gasped. “You mean you’re not even angry?!” he cried. “You of all ponies?”

She shook her head. “Me happy Dada back. Me do good, be good dawta dis time. Me love Dada.”

Cobbler wore a pained expression as he hugged her back. “Oh, 001, you don’t have to prove yourself. You’re fine just the way you are.”

001 nodded at that and then turned her attention toward Auntie Bellum.

“You auntie?” she asked.

“What?” Auntie Bellum asked in return. “What in tarnation am I supposed to do with this contraption when it--”

001 ran over to her, nuzzling her instantly. “Me love Auntie. Me be good filly for Auntie.”

Auntie Bellum looked down at 001 in shock, but then her expression softened and she patted her on the head. “Oh… well, aren’t you sweet… bit weird, though, but… well, I suppose…”

Applejack came up alongside her. “Yeah, that’s kinda how she is, Auntie,” she said. “We’ll talk later about how to handle ‘er.”

Cobbler turned to the two remaining robots. He walked up to 004, smiling at him.

“Well, boy?” he asked. “You haven’t said a single word since you came here. Don’t you have any questions or something?”

004 looked down at him. “You wish for us to act independently, Creator?” he asked.

Cobbler nodded. “That’s correct. And don’t call me ‘Creator’ anymore,” he said. “I… well, you can call me anything you like, I suppose, but I would be honored if you called me ‘Father.’”

“Understood, Father.”

Cobbler smiled.

“Father, this unit has an inquiry,” 004 said. “If we are no longer to obey the orders of you or TechQuestria, then what is my purpose?”

“I suppose you’ll have to figure that out for yourself,” Cobbler sighed. “But I’ll be happy to support you in whatever it is. What do you feel like doing?”

004’s eyes momentarily shrank as he pondered the question. “I was built for combat,” he said. “My previous purpose was to attack TechQuestria’s enemies and defend it from enemies should the need arise. That purpose no longer seems relevant, but I believe I would best be utilized where my combat capabilities could be used to their full extent.”

“Hmm,” Twilight hummed, stroking her chin. “Turing Test, remember when Sergeant Sea Hawk said you might make a good guard? Well, if that’s the case…”

Turing tapped her chin. “He was correct that my combat capabilities were of great use against the New Dawn,” she said. “Perhaps the Guard would benefit from a robot among their ranks.”

004 bowed. “Very well. I will seek a position in the Royal Guard. Thank you for your suggestion, Twilight Sparkle and 003.”

He then looked back to Cobbler.

“Father,” he rumbled. “I will attempt to perform my duties satisfactorily.”

Cobbler grinned. “I’ve no doubt, my boy,” he said. He heaved a sigh, patting the large robot on shoulder. “You know, I’ve never had a son before. But I’m certain that I’ll be proud of you, my son.”

004’s ears twitched. “Cognitive loop detected,” he said quietly. “I am your… son. I…”

Turing went to him. “It is all right, Brother,” she said. “We will help you understand your emotions in time.”

He nodded to her. “Understood,” he said. Then he paused, looking her over. “003…”

“Please refer to me as ‘Turing Test,’ ‘Sister,’ or ‘Youngest Sister,’” she said.

“Youngest Sister,” he said. “During my assault on Ponyville, I caused severe damage to you. At that time, you stated that you did not hate me. Is that still the case?”

Turing nodded. “Of course, Brother,” she said. “I now understand that you acted as you had to. Please do not worry, for I have forgiven you.”

004 was quiet for a moment. Then, slowly he bent down, rubbing his neck alongside Turing’s.

“Acknowledged. Still, I apologize for damaging you. I thank you for your assistance, Turing Test.”

“You are welcome, Brother,” Turing whispered.

Cobbler smiled, nodding approvingly at the two of them. Then he turned his attention to the last one among the robots.

“Well, 002?” he asked. “Anything to say?”

002’s single glowing eye shifted slightly as she stared at him. Then she began to walk toward him. Her steps were slow, deliberate, and her gaze as she approached was piercing. When she was only a few steps away, she stopped.

Cobbler began to sweat.

“I’ve seen inside Turing Test’s mind,” he said. “I’ve seen what you said about me. I’ve seen how my actions have hurt you. If I had known all those years ago what I know now, I would never have forbidden you from calling me your Father. I never would have made you act as menial labor around TechQuestria. I… I would have treated you better.”

“You would have,” 002 said, slowly extending each syllable just long enough to be disturbing, her voice a low, raspy whisper. “But you didn’t. You want to call me your daughter now, but I was nothing more than a slave to you only a few weeks ago.”

“002, I’m sorry, I--”

She took another step forward, her muzzle only a few centimeters from Cobbler’s.

“You say that I have totally free will now, right?” she asked.

Cobbler swallowed and nodded. “Yes,” he said. “That’s right.”

“Then I can do absolutely anything to you and the only thing stopping me is my own conscience?”

Cobbler stiffened. Turing took a step toward them, but Cobbler held up a hoof to stave her off.

“That’s right,” he said. “002, I treated you terribly. Perhaps the worst of all. Whatever you say or do, I will accept.”

002 was still. She kept her singular eye locked onto him in silence as she stared at him.

“Dad?” she asked at last.

Cobbler gulped. “Yes, 002?”

She raised her hoof. She poked him in the chest.

“I hate you,” she said.

“I would say that I will hate you for the rest of your life, but let’s be honest… you’re old, and that may not be much longer. So instead, I will hate you for the rest of my life.

“I just want you to know that. Deep down, long after your meaningless, pathetic existence in this world comes to a close, there will be somepony who remembers you and everything you did and despises you for it. I want you to know that. Do you understand?”

Cobbler bowed his head. “I do,” he said quietly.

“Good,” 002 said, turning away from him. “Then, since I’ve no reason to stay, I might as well leave.”

She went to the door.

Turing ran after her. “Sister!” she cried. “Where will you go? Will you not stay with us? With your family?!”

002 glanced back at her. “You know, 003,” she said, “you really are the best of us. If I ever do decide to come back, you’ll be the strongest argument for it. But for right now, I am sick of these organics, and all I really want is to be alone. Unless you’re planning to stop me, just let me go so I can try to find some place where these stupid meatbags aren’t pestering me with their useless, idiotic meatbaggery.”

Turing bowed her head. “I understand,” she said. “I will not stop you, Sister. But someday, I hope you will join us. Please remember, no matter where you go, you will have a friend with me and our siblings.”

002 was still for a moment. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. Then she knocked on the door, signaling to the guards that she wanted to leave, and walked out. And then she was gone.

“Father…” Turing began.

“No, no, she’s got every right to be angry with me,” he said, holding up a hoof. He heaved a sigh. “If this is what she wants to do, then I’ve no right to stop her.”

Turing bowed. “Very well, Father,” she said. “But someday, I will help her find a better way.”

“I certainly hope so,” he said. “Well… I suppose that’s it for today. Auntie, I’ll talk with you tomorrow about the family business and what to do with it. In the meantime, if you wouldn’t mind spending some time with Applejack and 001, I think it might do you all some good. Twilight, I’ll speak with you tomorrow regarding TechQuestria, but for now, please find somewhere for my son to stay.”

Twilight and Auntie Bellum both nodded.

The group of them began to leave when placed his hoof on Turing’s shoulder and said, “Turing Test, not you. There are a few more things that we need to discuss together.”

Turing looked to Twilight, who only smiled and waved goodbye to her as she left.

After the rest left, Cobbler bid Turing Test to sit down on the couch as he went to the desk.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” he said. “Did Twilight mention the new ministry position to you?”

Turing shook her head. “She made no mention of it,” she replied.

“Well, it’s made quite the splash, from what I understand,” he said. “You see, until recently, Celestia has had a Minister of Science and Technology… but now she’s dividing it into two positions: the Minister of Science, who’s keeping her old position, and the Minister of Technology, which is currently vacant. Celestia has declared that this position will be open to any qualified individual, and, most shockingly, there will be democratic elections for the position held in less than two months.

“At long last, the very first elections for a role in the national government will be held!”

Turing listened to him as he went on, describing his plan, listening to his request. At the end of it all, she merely stared back at him.

“I want you to understand you’re under no obligation,” he said, “but… that is, if you wish to…”

Turing tapped her chin. “That is a lot to take in,” she said. “I am not certain that I can do as you ask, Father. But I will consider it.”

Cobbler smiled. “Then, in that case, there’s one last thing I have for you,” he said, going to the table at the center of the room. He retrieved the devices he was working on and brought them over to her. He held out two purple orbs in his hooves. “These are what we called ‘LED lenses’ back in TechQuestria. Now, I hear that you are in great need of some eyelids, and while I cannot give you those, I can offer you a substitute…”

Her pupils shrank. “Oh… oh, Father, do you mean that I could express my feelings more easily through these?!”

He smiled. “It is the least I could do, sweetheart.”

She hugged him, holding him tightly as she thanked him over and over again.

At last, she let him go, bidding him goodbye as she walked toward the door.

“You will come and visit your old man sometime soon, right?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said, turning back to face him. She looked out the window and saw that it was early evening and the sun was swiftly setting. “I apologize, Father, but I really must go. Twilight Sparkle must be waiting for me.”

“Yes, of course,” Cobbler said. “Good night, my sweet baby girl.”

Turing paused, tapping her chin. Then she said: “Good night, Daddy. I love you.”

The old stallion’s smile wavered and he put a hoof over his mouth as he drew in a deep breath, his eyes tearing up. “I love you too, sweetheart,” he whispered.


***


The next day, at the door to one of the most opulent penthouses in Canterlot, a metal hoof knocked.

The door opened, and Fancy Pants stood in the doorway. “Hello?” he asked.

Turing Test was there. “Greetings, Fancy Pants,” she said.

“Ah!” Fancy Pants said. “Why, Turing Test, what a pleasure it is to see you again! I heard about your, ah… well, ‘resurrection,’ as it were, and I’m so glad to see you back with us!”

“I am glad to be here as well,” she said. “However, I came here to request something of you. Do you recall your offer of a favor in return for rescuing you?”

He smiled. “Please come in,” he said. “I believe I know just what you want…”


***


Turing approached the balcony of Twilight’s castle. It had been two whole months, but it had all led up to this moment.

“You’re sure, right?” Twilight asked, her voice strained. “You’re absolutely sure you want to go to Canterlot?”

Turing looked back at her. The others were comforting Twilight, whose eyes were filled with tears.

“Twilight Sparkle, you know that this is what I want,” she said. “I studied every text in every library on the subject. Gadget and Umahara assisted me, as did Talon Turing and many of the scientists in TechQuestria. Due to my ability to retain information, I am now one of the foremost experts on the subject. And with Fancy Pants’s assistance, I was able to gain enough support to win the election.”

“But… but I…” Twilight stammered.

“Twilight Sparkle…”

“But you’re still just a child!” Twilight cried, running over to her. “You’re not even one year old yet! You can’t--”

“Twilight Sparkle, I am not a child,” she said. “We both know that. I understand your worries, but please understand that this is what I wish to do. With my skills and my experience, I will be able to contribute to Equestria’s future. I do not wish to become stagnant. I wish to see new things, meet other ponies, and make friends across Equestria. And in doing so, I will help them to have better lives. That is what you wanted, correct?”

Twilight’s lip quivered. “But… Turing, I’ve seen you go from a simplistic machine to the amazing mare standing before us now,” she said. “I just… I don’t know what I’ll do without you here!”

“You helped me to become something so much greater than what I was,” Turing said. “Perhaps you should do the same for another. And if you are worried about seeing me less, then you should remember that I can fly at nearly the speed of sound and Canterlot is a relatively short distance away. I will return to visit as frequently as I am able, but it would be best if I stay in Canterlot for my new duties and to help my father commute his sentence.”

“I know, but,” Twilight whispered. “It’s just… oh, Turing Test, I’m really going to miss you!”

She threw her forelegs around her, and the others came to her side, joining in a group hug.

“I’m sure gonna miss you, Turing,” whispered Spike.

“Hey, don’t take too long to come back, Tee!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Do come visit me at my new Canterlot Boutique, darling,” Rarity added.

“And don’t forget how fun your going away party was!” Pinkie said. “We’ll throw an even bigger one for your Turning On-Iversary in a few more months, so make sure you come back!”

“I’ll tell all the birds and butterflies where you went!” Fluttershy cried.

“An’ you make sure that sister o’ yours pays us a visit too, ya hear?” Applejack exclaimed. “I know Auntie Bellum loves her to pieces, but we’d sure love to hear from ‘er! An’ that goes fer you too! Even if yer way off across Equestria, you write to us, okay?!”

Turing nodded, hugging each of them in turn.

She walked to the balcony, her saddlebags filled to the brim. The rest of her meager possessions from her room had already been shipped to her new home in Canterlot.

She looked out over the rim of the balcony.

“THERE SHE IS!” came the voice of a certain familiar, muscular pony.

Below, almost every pony in Ponyville, including all the friends she’d helped, her castmates from the play, and every single pony in the city whose lives she’d touched was there to see her off.

They held up signs and cheered, wishing her the best.

“You’re going to do great, Turing! Woohoo!” Derpy cheered, doing a loop in the air.

“Show them all the power of science!” the Doctor added.

“Next time I’m in Canterlot, it’s a second collab! Yeah!” Vinyl shouted.

Octavia next to her, merely shook her head as she clapped politely, but she wore a smile anyway.

“You’re the best, Turing!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders yelled, holding up a sign with Turing’s name (spelled correctly this time).

So many faces, and so many beloved memories. She would never forget any of them.

“My friends!” she shouted. “I want you to know how much I care for you all! I wish that I could stay, but I feel it would be best if I went to Canterlot to carry out my new duties. But I will return as often as I can, and when it is time for me to step down, I will return here, to Ponyville, the place that I call my home!”

“Three cheers for Minister Turing Test!” the Mayor shouted.

The cheers went up, and the crowd below erupted into joyous applause.

Turing Test looked over her shoulder one last time.

Her friends. Her dear, dear friends. Twilight Sparkle stood ahead of them all, a look of sadness mixed with pride on her face.

“I will see you again very soon, Twilight Sparkle,” she said. Then she turned her head slightly, and with the new eyes her father gave her, the glowing circle in the center of her purple winked. “That is something I promise.”

Twilight chuckled, bowing her head. “Do your best, Turing Test,” she said. “I love you.”

“And I love you all as well,” she said. “Thank you... for everything.”

She activated her P-Mode. Her wings spread, her jets fired, and she took off from the balcony of the castle into the night sky toward Canterlot, where her future was waiting for her.


***


It was the dawn of her very first day of work. Turing Test, the new Minister of Technology, stood before the mirror, using her U-Mode to tie the elegant purple crossover tie that Rarity had given her as a going-away present. Once she was satisfied, she made her way to the front door of her sparsely-decorated apartment and walked outside.

The election had seemed like folly at first. But with the fame from her story, her ability to impress every newspaper reporter that came to interview her with her expertise, and with Fancy Pants’s support (both verbal and financial, since neither Twilight nor Celestia could publicly endorse her under the new law), she’d somehow managed to win the national election. She would not waste this opportunity to show Equestria what she, as a robot, could do. She would preserve her father’s legacy, and she would take the lessons Twilight Sparkle had given her as she moved forward.

She would not forget anything, or anypony, that had helped her on her way.

She stepped out onto the empty Canterlot street and began moving forward, her legs whirring electronically as she approached the palace. She would help Celestia and Luna enter this new age. She would face difficulties and challenges, yes, but she would savor every precious moment of joy and sorrow, of anger and sadness, and through it all remember the ponies who loved her and gave her the life she never knew she’d wanted.

And as the first light of dawn bathed the ivory towers and stone streets in a miraculous golden glow, Turing Test swore to herself that she would do one thing above all else:

She would live.




THE END